Forum - View topicEP. REVIEW: Fruits Basket
|
Goto page Previous Next Note: this is the discussion thread for this article |
| Author | Message | ||
|---|---|---|---|
Cardcaptor Takato
 Posts: 4817 |
|
||
|
I remember FMA Brotherhood got a lot of the same kinds of criticism early on about it being too much of a prettied up version of the original before it got to the manga only content. So far though I feel like the Fruits Basket reboot is doing a better job with the pacing than Brotherhood did.
|
|||
|
|||
steelmirror
 Posts: 342 |
|
||
|
Also a complete Fruits Basket newbie here, and so far I'm really happy with it. I am trying to avoid some of the hype, as a lot of people build this show up A LOT, which is totally fine for them and I hope I end up feeling the same about the show as they do, but I also want to be wary about modulating my own expectations and not feeling the hype backlash if the show doesn't turn out to be an A+ all time best. Also, I'm avoiding spoilers like the plague.
Taken on their own, eps 1 and 2 were really fun and I've been looking forward to 3 all week. I like all the characters so far, even dog boy (the fact that I can refer to them so easily by animal means it will probably take me til like halfway through the show to actually remember anyone's name). I thought the bit in the first ep where he literally pointed and laughed at a homeless highschool student living in a tent was both an incredibly dick move and also hilarious. Side note: I'm a tiger, and tigers are clearly the best zodiac animal. Looking forward to seeing what kind of representation my clan gets in the show! |
|||
|
|||
KitKat1721
 Posts: 953 |
|
||
|
I've always loved the line from Tohru that "people are not born kind." Its something that's always stuck with me, and I think serves as a really strong statement going forward in the story.
I'm liking the pacing so far, its not quite as slow as the original series, but not as rushed as FMA: Brotherhood's first season either. |
|||
|
|||
Lizuka
 Posts: 258 |
|
||
|
Only real exposure to the series I have is I gave the manga a look once. Couldn't even slightly get into it.
|
|||
|
|||
jr240483
 Posts: 4376 Location: New York City,New York,USA |
|
||
that had me worried as well cause it was screaming dejavu since other shojo series had that (Vampire Knight, Cress Celestial Legend , NANA , Angel Sancutary) uber annoying storyline inbound like if its some crappy US soap opera! though what will be more interesting for US fans are how will the english dub be recieved considering that its been over 20 years and such. |
|||
|
|||
|
KitKat1721
Posts: 953 |
|
||
|
I was going to wait until the reviews were posted but I think its been long enough that I wouldn't be spoiling anything.
Kagura is definitely one of the characters who feels like of a product of her time with the whole Rumiko Takahashi-style slapstick humor. I do think its played up a lot for her introduction, and its a big improvement from the original adaptation (Kagura isn't completely inept now). Each Zodiac spirit does seem to have some sort of influence over their Soma family member, as we've already seen with Yuki's penchant for success and Kagura's temper/not knowing her own strength. But seriously, the poor sliding door has been through so much... (As I've gotten older, I find myself relating more and more to the adult characters like Shigure, and his laments about his home being destroyed). Its also pretty sad how Kagura keeps telling Kyo "I'm your best chance at happiness/you'll never have any better," and no one says anything. Yuki even jokingly says, "You must be relieved someone would consider such a cruel fate." I know part of its played for laughs, but it still made me feel pretty bad for him. Lastly, a couple interesting tidbits/comparison notes between the dub/sub: Kagura's Japanese actress is Rie Kugimiya, in case she wasn't instantly recognizable. Kagura's English actress, Tia Ballard, is one of the new replacements from the original dub cast, and I think she fits very well. I really liked that the dub takes the whole "marriage is every girl's dream," line and implies it as more of a general, "doesn't everyone dream of finding a soulmate" type statement, which feels a lot less dated, but still true to Tohru's optimism and belief in love. I also thought first Tohru's line about hitting with a right jab (but actually using her left) might be a translation error or something, but the dub kept the same line. Turns out Tohru is just a tad ditzy, but I still love her haha |
|||
|
|||
|
KitKat1721
Posts: 953 |
|
||
|
Really love how this adaptation has been fleshing out the stories a bit to give them more weight, now with episode 5 doing the same as the previous. I love that we got to see more of Yuki and Kyo's mindset in trying to get her back, and still trying to one-up each other at the same time.
I've really been enjoying both the sub and dub so far for different reasons, but I think this is the first one where the dub truly out-shined the sub for me. The english dialogue felt a lot more memorable ("A rice ball doesn't belong in a fruits basket") than the more literal, stilted subs ("it should be obvious that the rice ball would never get to join the group"). |
|||
|
|||
|
JacobC
ANN Contributor
 Posts: 3728 Location: SoCal |
|
||
|
Just a heads-up: the reviews for eps 3-5 will be up late tonight. There have been some intense unavoidable delays on my part these past two stressful weeks, but after I'm caught up, things should be smoother. Apologies.
|
|||
|
|||
|
Key
Moderator
 Posts: 18179 Location: Indianapolis, IN (formerly Mimiho Valley) |
|
||
Actually, I'd argue that it was more detrimental than helpful in this case. While I still think this episode 5 was handled pretty well, it did not muster the full brunt of emotional impact that I've always gotten when watching episode 5 of the original series. I see two reasons for this: 1) The shift to focusing on Kyo and Yuki throws off the timing and flow of the emotional build-up; and 2) By allowing time for them, the writing doesn't establish as well how miserable Tohru is with her new situation despite the front that she puts up. Still a pretty good episode, but even with the better technical merits figured in, the original was better on this plot element. |
|||
|
|||
|
Crisha
Moderator
 Posts: 4290 |
|
||
|
My sister and I loved this episode even more than the original (and the original was already really great). We were on the floor laying on our sides and hugging our knees to our chests. *heavy sigh* I haven't been so excited for a weekly streaming series in a while.
|
|||
|
|||
|
ThatGuyWhoLikesThings
Posts: 1008 |
|
||
|
I have to admit, I genuinely hope Kagura gets better, because her introduction was some hot garbage. And it's not even because of the dumb slapstick, this is a very old manga, it's the seriously messed up logic the episode uses.
"I know I just beat you senseless and destroyed your property, but it's *your* fault for deserving it!" "She's not incredibly abusive, she just loves you a lot!" "You should be grateful that someone cares about you that much!" That's absolutely the kind of thing you would hear an abuser say to their victim, but not only does the episode basically not address this at all, the fact that everyone else is actually defending Kagura and even acting like Kyo is the bad guy in this scenario just angers me. If something like this is treated with the gravity that it deserves later down the line, that's great, but the lack of self-awareness in this episode isn't giving me any hope. I've had a lot of fun with the show otherwise, so if she either stops showing up or actually gets better, I'll have little to no complaints otherwise. |
|||
|
|||
|
JacobC
ANN Contributor
Posts: 3728 Location: SoCal |
|
||
She shows up semi-regularly, but this is the greatest amount of violence we'll ever see from her. In the future, the scenes of her beating up Kyo are shorter, and then they just disappear completely. |
|||
|
|||
Stiles
 Posts: 105 |
|
||
|
Complete Froob noob signing in.
Thus far, I'd say Fruits Basket is very charming. I haven't yet sat down to the fifth episode as of writing this, but after two episodes I was definitely hooked. The third episode felt weak and overlong to me, it's difficult to just watch Tohru talk about these Soma boys at length, especially when it seemed like she had done enough of that already. Obviously it's very early on, but Tohru is a bit too saintly for me to take seriously. I suppose that's meant to contrast against Yuki who is at the opposite end, being cold, detached and a bit cynical. If Shigure wasn't around I'd have to say that Tohru is probably the weakest character thus far, with Kyo or perhaps Kagura being the strongest. And on that note, I was very pleased to see the tone completely change for the fourth episode, with Kagura's introduction acting as a foot slamming down hard on the gas of the meandering Froob car. In one episode she seemed to show more facets to her own personality than Tohru did in three. I love the kind of silly cartoony slapstick she brought with her, so I'll be somewhat disappointed if that does indeed vanish. This is a nice show thus far, but I hope Tohru does have something going on beneath that curiously bright halo. Very much looking forward to more Kyo/Kagura and the rest of the clan. |
|||
|
|||
crazieanimefan1
 Posts: 409 Location: Auburn, AL |
|
||
|
I'm not a noob to this show, I've watched/owned the orginal and I've read the manga. I love the fact they're doing the whole thing for once after a lot that's happened in the manga, and I will say there is more to Kagura's character than meets the eye. By far, she's actually had less abuse than most of the other Sohmas so her attitude and all to me is a front to hide the actual fear she truly has of what if she does have to go through that mess.
Also the pig jokes just had me in stitches. lol That being said, of all the dubs I had watched, FB had the best English dub back in the day and I hope to expect the same in this one. I can't watch the dub until the DVD comes out however, since I watch a good bit off Crunchyroll, but I expect to be surprised. |
|||
|
|||
|
Zeino
Posts: 1098 |
|
||
|
So ends the first "arc" in Fruits Basket
I love how they pad the episode compared to the original anime and how they took out the age inappropriate comedy. It's hilarious how Kyo is always one step behind Yuki. Though that said, it was sadder in original anime because we saw Tohru going to school and everyone was keeping a distance, and having Tohru wandered off into a different room before her heartfelt confessions felt more natural than blurbing it out in front of he jerkass extended relatives. |
|||
|
|||
 |
All times are GMT - 5 Hours |
|
|
|
Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2005 phpBB Group